By Seyi Babalola
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has stated that floods in Nigeria harmed 1,048,312 individuals between April and September 2024.
Mrs Zubaida Umar, Director-General of NEMA, presented this report to the National Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF) in Abuja on Thursday, indicating that the tragedy had displaced 625,239 people and claimed 259 lives.
She sympathised with those impacted and promised them that the Federal Government, through NEMA, would offer the required assistance.
Umar said that the major objective for hosting the meeting was to get updates on the flood situation and assign roles and duties to stakeholders, stressing that while flooding could not be completely avoided, efforts were being taken to reduce its impact.
According to the D-G, flooding has affected 29 states and 172 local governments, impacting 1,048,312 people, displacing 625,239, and killing 259 individuals. She underlined the importance of a coordinated response to the crisis.
“NEMA has activated Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in some states and deployed additional staff to support search and rescue operations.
“The agency has also provided water purification equipment and critical search and rescue tools to affected states,” he said.
Umar appreciated the support of international partners and encouraged them to continue assisting while monitoring the situation.
She noted that the situation was not yet overwhelming for the Nigerian government to cope with.
